Michelin Logo

Michelin Logo PNG

The visual sign of the company seemed to come to life and talk to the buyer. The Michelin logo shows the friendliness of the tire manufacturer, its wide customer support, and its willingness to create the most convenient conditions for cooperation.

Meaning and History

Over the many years of its existence, the brand has changed its logo several times but has always remained faithful to its mascot. This is a hand-drawn man named Bibendum, made up of tires of different sizes. It appeared thanks to the living image of the founders of the company, who, in 1894 at an exhibition in Lyon, noticed the resemblance of a stack of tires to a man who only lacks hands. After four years, the brothers decided to design their logo. They took O’Galop’s beer logo as a basis, replaced the giant with their tire man, and left the phrase “Nunc est Bibendum” unchanged.

What is Michelin?

This is a French company that manufactures tires and wheels for all kinds of equipment – from bicycles to airplanes. It is also renowned for its culinary star rating, which has awarded the best chefs and restaurants globally for their culinary excellence. The company appeared in 1889 and was founded in the city of Clermont-Ferrand by the Michelin brothers – Edouard and Andre, who were the owners of a rubber factory.

1889 – 1925

Early in its history, before the iconic Bibendum mascot, Michelin used a logo that looked like a flyer. It looked like a horizontal rectangle with a border decorated with branches and leaves of a rubber tree. The choice of floral ornament is because, in the early years of its existence, Michelin was an enterprise for producing rubber from rubber. This, by the way, was indicated in the top line above the brand name. The lower half contained many other inscriptions, including “CLERMONT-FERRAND” (the city where the company was founded). All text was provided in French. Designers chose different fonts for different phrases, both serif, and sans serif. The glyph set that was used for the word “Michelin” looked the most original.

1936 – 1968

The debut logo features the brand’s mascot. He runs after the tire along the road formed by the elongated leg of the letter “n” from the brand name. The word “Michelin” sits diagonally to the side.

1968 – 1997

During this period, the developers used the logo’s brand name, so it turned out to be simple and minimalistic. Letters of a strict geometric shape, wide, smooth, uppercase, and spaced at a minimum distance from each other.

1997 – 2017

Since that time, the brand has finally brought Bibendum back into its logo, making it friendly. Next to it on a blue background is the inscription “Michelin.” In parallel, in 1997, another version appeared – in the form of an oblique company name. It is also still used today, harmoniously complementing the graphic sign.

2017 – today

There are now two versions of the emblem with the brand’s mascot. They depict a joyfully smiling little man who waves his hand in greeting. Below it is the word “Michelin.” In one modification, there is a yellow line, in another – a blue one.

Font and Colors

The company’s mascot received the status of a world “ambassador” of a well-known tire and wheel manufacturer. Bibendum introduces new products, advises, and helps customers.

Several designers worked on the logo at different times, and each of them offered their interpretation. As a result, Bibendum evolved from a beer character to a product selection manager.

In the current version, the brand name is written in solid italics – San Serif font. All letters are in uppercase. The emblem’s color palette is monotonous: until 1997, it was black and white, and then blue appeared in it. Recently, designers have added light yellow.

Michelin color codes